Impact of Climate Change on Crop Production

Crops have always been sensitive to climate change. Even a single season of not enough or too much rainfall, a hot spell or cold snap at the wrong time, extremities of weather such as floods and storms; all have a debilitating effect on crop yields and livestock production.

That was one side of the picture. The other of the picture is totally opposite. One recent research of Stanford University reports 5% increase in global production of maize and wheat since 1980, as a result of to climatic changes. Raised carbon dioxide concentrations – the main cause of climate change – could increase production of some crops, such as rice, soybean and wheat.

The future course of global food production will depend on how well societies can adapt to such climatic changes. According to IPCC, the agriculture of poorer, low-latitude countries, would be seriously challenged as climate rises 3*C than normal. The richer, higher latitude countries have greater capacity to adapt to the changing climatic conditions.

Climate changes affect agricultural production by causing variation in the timing and intensity of rainfall and shift in temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations. As a result of climate change, crops normally seen growing in the south of Europe will be able to be grown further north. This would allow more sweet-corn, grapes, sunflowers, soya and maize to be grown in Britain. In Scotland, livestock farming could become more suitable. At the higher latitudes warmer temperatures are predicted to lengthen and increase the intensity of the growing season. But more CO2 and a major temperature rise could cut yields by around 10% later in the century.